It has been an exciting and engaging seven weeks since we started Annual Sessions programming on May 28th, and we’ve noticed that all the work to assemble an interesting set of workshops for our community has yielded a great turnout. Friends have joined from PYM, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Britain Yearly Meeting, plus many other yearly meetings and Quaker organizations. We hope to see you too!
We’ve seen many people who are new to Annual Sessions and workshops. We’ve also seen Friends, Attenders, committee clerks, meeting clerks, Bridge Contacts and members who frequently come to PYM events. We’ve worked closely with our clerking team, and PYM leadership councils on exactly how to navigate Meeting for Business by Zoom. We have thought about the quality of worship, and how to make an interactive Poetry project possible. We’ve thought long and hard at both the staff and clerking levels on how to welcome the full range of ages and interests of our Quaker community.
The runway to Annual Sessions has been interesting to manage from a technology perspective. We’ve explored all of Zoom’s capacities with webinar formats, breakout groups, chat functions, and large meetings for worship.
We’ve also offered 18 workshops, three out of five mindfulness sessions, a Meeting for Worship with Attention to Social Justice and Covid-19, plus a plenary on climate change.
Of course, that’s not counting what is ahead. We still have three more plenaries, the spiritual formation retreat, and about 20+ event, worship sharing, all-ages worship, youth programs, business, Young Adult Friends events, Affinity Spaces, and keynote opportunities yet to come at Annual Sessions (July 28-August 2).
All of this has also been offered free of charge — our gift to Quakers everywhere.
And, it’s now time for everyone to read the advance documents and sign up for Annual Sessions week. We hope you won’t miss a single keynote, or any of the remaining plenaries on Membership, Business, and Addressing Racism, plus register for well-designed and fun youth programs. After all, it’s summer and a good time for Friends to gather.
